F.—DEATH OF SHUJÁ'AT KHÁN.

We read so much respecting the actions of this gallant officer
during the reigns of Sher Sháh and Islám Sháh,*
that there is no
need here to expatiate upon them. Most of the authors who
have made any mention of his death*
concur in representing it as a
natural one, but as the following details appear highly probable,
and are illustrative of the ignominy and baseness which prevailed
at this period, I will abstract an account of them from Ahmad
Yádgár (MS., pp. 345-350).

Shujá'at Khán, Ghází Khán Súr, and Hájí Khán were directed by
Islám Sháh to lead an expedition against Súrat Sing Ráthor, whose
principality was Chonsú. The sole reason for this wanton attack
seems to have been that he had a white elephant and a beautiful
daughter. The elephant, though so remarkable for its docility in
the stable that even children might play with its trunk and tusks,
was equally celebrated in the field for its valour and ferocity,
insomuch that no strange driver dare approach it.

Súrat Sing chanced to be at Dwárka when he heard of the
arrival of this formidable force; but two Rájpút chieftains, Kúmpá
and Pampá, having been left behind to manage the army during his
absence, collected ten or twelve thousand veteran soldiers, and
erected an earthen circumvallation round Chonsú, with a deep ditch,
protected by outworks in different places.

One day, after the army of Islám Sháh had reached that neigh­bourhood,
they came suddenly upon the village of Nákár, where
the Rájpúts were standing negligently in detached bodies, and had
taken no means for securing their outposts in that portion of the
defences. The three nobles, after a short consultation, determined
upon an immediate attack, and the lot fell upon Shujá'at Khán to
lead the advance, with 4000 cavalry and seven or eight elephants.
Hájí Khán and Ghází Khán were to support him respectively on
the right and left. The Rájpúts maintained their ground against
every attack of Shujá'at Khán, though directed with the utmost
vigour and impetuosity; and at the same time, “the two nobles
retired, both on the right and left, because Islám Sháh was ill-disposed
towards Shujá'at Khán, though he pretended to be other­wise,
on account of Daulat Khán Ujíála, the Khán's adopted son,
who was a catamite of the King's. He had, therefore, directed
them secretly on the day of battle to let him advance heedlessly, and
not give him any support when he required it, in order that he
might be slain.” Consequently, when Shujá'at Khán found himself
deserted by his colleagues, being determined to sell his life dearly,
he put himself at the head of two thousand of his own cavalry, and
astonished even his infidel opponents by his deeds of gallantry,
“until his horse fell covered with wounds; when, being driven to
defend himself on foot with his bow and arrows, he made every
bolt which he sped send an infidel to hell.”

The next day, the Hindus being defeated by the other two generals,
performed the jauhar, when one thousand women became victims in
that sacrifice. Immense plunder fell into the hands of the victors, and
treasure was carried off which it had taken three or four generations
to amass. “The King was highly rejoiced to hear of Shujá'at
Khán's death, and ordained a splendid festival to be held. He re­counted
to Daulat Khán Ujíála all the feats of valour which had
been achieved by Shujá'at Khán and in order to assuage his grief,
elevated him to the rank which had been enjoyed by his adoptive
father.”*